Well shoot, yesterdays post must have been worded wrong or something.
But anyhows.....
It rained like hell again yesterday. The night before we had tornado warnings.....with high winds. Then flash flood warnings. Ditches run'n over in the street. Then it rained some more. My God, the yard is slap full of water again.
Ok, speak'n of ditches full of water. Over in Port Aransas, think'n maybe bout 1992 or therebouts, we had some really bad rain storms on the island. Bout a half mile from the Gulf of Mexico, the main drag through town got flooded. Kids ride'n jet skis down the street. The ditches was slap full of water....and fish. Up where the new What A Bugger is located, up to where the new post office is located, fish was jump'n in the roadside ditches. Tell me it don't rain fish. If'n I recall, the local newspaper had a front page write up bout it....with photos.
Ha, made it up all the ways till 6pm yesterday before I take me a pain reliever. Both feet were pretty much unswolled most of the day...until I sit in "that chair" for a couple hours watch'n a golf game. Dang, who are all these new kids play'n professional golf an' beat'n hell out the ones I know? I mean like...."what the hell"???
I don't know why I'm get'n on the subject, but way back in the late 50's, there was two kinds of boys in Ridgecrest, Ca.. There was us rowdy boys an' then there was the sissy boys. Us rowdy boys would drive homebrew cars an' them sissy boys would drive "off the showroom floor" sissy cars that "mommy an' daddy" bought 'em. The sissy boys, with their sissy cars, would hang out at the drive in up the street. Rev'n up their little 6 cylinder engines, hoods open, show'n off all the chrome stuff under there. Two barrel carburetors an' stuff like that. While down the street at the rowdy drive in, us rowdy boys were rev'n up our "modified" V-8 engines with 4 barrel carburetors, in some cases two 4 barrels, custom made twin exhaust systems with "cut outs", an' loud ass "cherry bomb' mufflers.
I had fount me this old 1946 Plymouth business coupe with a little 6 cylinder motor what only had bout a hunnert horsepower on a good day. It was a ugly dark green an' not a eye catcher color for the cute little "chick a babys". It remained that ugly dark green color up till the day it died. When ya crank up the engine, it sound like a "on it's last leg" Kenmore warsh'n machine. It's got to go.
Ha, the only pic of it I got. That's it sit'n in the background behind uncles pick up.
A 1949 or '50 Ford flat head V-8....not the drink, engine out of a drag rac'n car was located...for $25 cash money. Me an' Gerry install that engine in that old ugly dark green Plymouth.....after a rebuild an' much modification to make it fit. A floor shifter was needed.....macho thing ya know. At that time, a Hurst floor shifter was way out of my $$$$ pocket change range. Two shifter rods are installed through the floorboard an' two hands are required to shift gears. Back then, only sissy cars had automatic transmissions. After much shift'n practice, I could shift as fast as a Hurst an' never miss a gear in a speed shift.
Six months later, I had me one hot, faster an' hell, 1946 Plymouth business coupe. Me an' Gerry takes it up the street to the sissy drive in an' cruise round the park'n lot....rev'n the motor ya know. An' spin'n tires a couple times. A crowd gathers, want'n a look under the hood. A challenge was made..."ya wanna race that thing"? Oh crap, it was made by the owner of the shiny black '57 Chevy Bel Aire with 3 on the floor. A sissy car. Although it was bout the fastest an' hottest car in town, I accepted the challenge. Out of county an' to the top of Trona hill we go.
We line up on the start line, placed there from many 1/4 mile drag races in the past. My "cut outs" are opened up for the added horsepower. The distributor timing is increased a few degrees. Denatured alcohol is added to the gas tank. Engines are rev'ed up, the flag drops an' we on our way....I jump to the lead with my great big ol' Chrysler Imperial back tires. While that sissy Chevy sits there at the start line spin'n his sissy factory spec. tires. I'm in the lead for the next few hunnert feet...shift'n gears an' I miss one. Then here come that dad gum '57 Chevy catch'n up to me. He passes me....by a car length. I do me a two hand shift into high gear an' that's when the horsepower kick in. I can feel it. We cross the finish line, me a half car in the lead....I win. Ha, teach that boy to buy a sissy car.
I raced that '57 Chevy a couple times after that race. Never see nuttin but his tail pipes. Come to find out, his daddy took it to a race car mechanic an' did some "stuff" to it. An' that when some guy buys a brand span'n new 1960 Chevy El Camino with a big block 409.....a power horse of a motor. Cheater slicks...the whole works. Sissy car an' rowdy car rac'n days are over.
Well shoot, what I been do'n? It's late....publish this thing. Laters.
But anyhows.....
It rained like hell again yesterday. The night before we had tornado warnings.....with high winds. Then flash flood warnings. Ditches run'n over in the street. Then it rained some more. My God, the yard is slap full of water again.
Ok, speak'n of ditches full of water. Over in Port Aransas, think'n maybe bout 1992 or therebouts, we had some really bad rain storms on the island. Bout a half mile from the Gulf of Mexico, the main drag through town got flooded. Kids ride'n jet skis down the street. The ditches was slap full of water....and fish. Up where the new What A Bugger is located, up to where the new post office is located, fish was jump'n in the roadside ditches. Tell me it don't rain fish. If'n I recall, the local newspaper had a front page write up bout it....with photos.
Ha, made it up all the ways till 6pm yesterday before I take me a pain reliever. Both feet were pretty much unswolled most of the day...until I sit in "that chair" for a couple hours watch'n a golf game. Dang, who are all these new kids play'n professional golf an' beat'n hell out the ones I know? I mean like...."what the hell"???
I don't know why I'm get'n on the subject, but way back in the late 50's, there was two kinds of boys in Ridgecrest, Ca.. There was us rowdy boys an' then there was the sissy boys. Us rowdy boys would drive homebrew cars an' them sissy boys would drive "off the showroom floor" sissy cars that "mommy an' daddy" bought 'em. The sissy boys, with their sissy cars, would hang out at the drive in up the street. Rev'n up their little 6 cylinder engines, hoods open, show'n off all the chrome stuff under there. Two barrel carburetors an' stuff like that. While down the street at the rowdy drive in, us rowdy boys were rev'n up our "modified" V-8 engines with 4 barrel carburetors, in some cases two 4 barrels, custom made twin exhaust systems with "cut outs", an' loud ass "cherry bomb' mufflers.
I had fount me this old 1946 Plymouth business coupe with a little 6 cylinder motor what only had bout a hunnert horsepower on a good day. It was a ugly dark green an' not a eye catcher color for the cute little "chick a babys". It remained that ugly dark green color up till the day it died. When ya crank up the engine, it sound like a "on it's last leg" Kenmore warsh'n machine. It's got to go.
A 1949 or '50 Ford flat head V-8....not the drink, engine out of a drag rac'n car was located...for $25 cash money. Me an' Gerry install that engine in that old ugly dark green Plymouth.....after a rebuild an' much modification to make it fit. A floor shifter was needed.....macho thing ya know. At that time, a Hurst floor shifter was way out of my $$$$ pocket change range. Two shifter rods are installed through the floorboard an' two hands are required to shift gears. Back then, only sissy cars had automatic transmissions. After much shift'n practice, I could shift as fast as a Hurst an' never miss a gear in a speed shift.
Six months later, I had me one hot, faster an' hell, 1946 Plymouth business coupe. Me an' Gerry takes it up the street to the sissy drive in an' cruise round the park'n lot....rev'n the motor ya know. An' spin'n tires a couple times. A crowd gathers, want'n a look under the hood. A challenge was made..."ya wanna race that thing"? Oh crap, it was made by the owner of the shiny black '57 Chevy Bel Aire with 3 on the floor. A sissy car. Although it was bout the fastest an' hottest car in town, I accepted the challenge. Out of county an' to the top of Trona hill we go.
We line up on the start line, placed there from many 1/4 mile drag races in the past. My "cut outs" are opened up for the added horsepower. The distributor timing is increased a few degrees. Denatured alcohol is added to the gas tank. Engines are rev'ed up, the flag drops an' we on our way....I jump to the lead with my great big ol' Chrysler Imperial back tires. While that sissy Chevy sits there at the start line spin'n his sissy factory spec. tires. I'm in the lead for the next few hunnert feet...shift'n gears an' I miss one. Then here come that dad gum '57 Chevy catch'n up to me. He passes me....by a car length. I do me a two hand shift into high gear an' that's when the horsepower kick in. I can feel it. We cross the finish line, me a half car in the lead....I win. Ha, teach that boy to buy a sissy car.
I raced that '57 Chevy a couple times after that race. Never see nuttin but his tail pipes. Come to find out, his daddy took it to a race car mechanic an' did some "stuff" to it. An' that when some guy buys a brand span'n new 1960 Chevy El Camino with a big block 409.....a power horse of a motor. Cheater slicks...the whole works. Sissy car an' rowdy car rac'n days are over.
Well shoot, what I been do'n? It's late....publish this thing. Laters.
Another great story reminds me of them good old days too.
ReplyDeleteSure have some great memories of them days too. Bought me a 1956 plymouth fury, engine burning oil like crazy, no power. Hmm, neighbor man says hey I got a good engine for ya. Right out of a 1958 Desoto. Hemi all souped up, a friend totalled his car with it.
So we shoe horned that big block into my plymouth and cheery bomb mufflers, with on it big tires on the back, nobody in the city of Toronto could touch me, a real sleeper it was.
Had to sell it though was gonna get myself killed if I did not.
Great memories and you brought back some for me, too. Back in the early 1960's I got me a 57 Chevy Convertible. I didn't like the engine so replaced it with a supped up 283 with full cam, solid lifters, extra heavy rocker arm springs, shaved heads, and domed pistons with S.S. rings. I found a used Hurst shifter and I was good to go. That car was fast!!! Wish I still had it.
ReplyDelete